Activity Overview
Opioid analgesics are effective therapeutic agents for managing various chronic and persistent pain disorders, now estimated to afflict nearly half of all Americans. Although great strides have been made to heighten awareness of the prevalence of pain, the literature confirms that pain in America is largely undertreated. Recent media attention has focused awareness on some of the social, legal, and political obstacles confronting physicians who aggressively treat pain in their clinical practices. How does the healthcare professional distinguish between the real and perceived risks involved in treating patients with opioid analgesics and utilize these proven therapeutic agents safely and effectively?
The National Initiative on Pain Control® (NIPC®), with the help of nationally recognized experts in the field of pain management, has designed an activity that will help busy healthcare professionals manage the chronic pain patient safely and effectively with opioid analgesics.
Learning Objectives:
- Assess the chronic pain patient’s level of risk for aberrant behavior when using opioid therapy
- Identify appropriate opioid analgesic agents for use in chronic pain patients
- Start opioid therapy, including appropriate documentation to support opioid prescribing
- Optimize opioid analgesia through titration, rotation, and conversion
- Use appropriate documentation to support opioid prescribing
About the National Initiative on Pain Control® (NIPC®)
More than half of all Americans suffer from chronic pain or recurrent pain. Physicians are faced with finding safe and effective methods to provide optimal pain relief for their patients on a daily basis. What is of special concern is that less than optimal training of physicians in pain disorders has led to the underassessment and undertreatment of patients who are living with pain.
The National Initiative on Pain Control® (NIPC®) is an integrated CME education initiative that was established in 2001 by Professional Postgraduate Services® to help physicians improve outcomes of their patients who have pain. The NIPC offers, through various educational modalities, innovative, interactive, and practical educational tools and activities that support the Initiative’s educational goals.
All NIPC activities are developed and continuously evaluated by the NIPC Education Council, an expert, nationally respected multidisciplinary team of pain management specialists, researchers, and practicing physicians.
The NIPC activities highlight the magnitude of the pain management problem, provide guidance in pain assessment, and offer proven strategies for treatment—all with the aim of improving patient outcomes.
Examples of NIPC activity formats:
- DINNER DIALOGUES®
- Saturday Seminars
- CONFERENCE LINE® Seminars
- Virtual Conference
Examples of Enduring Materials:
- Newsletter Series with Podcasts
- Webcasts
Examples of content areas:
- Persistent Pain
- Neuropathic Pain
- Postoperative Pain
- Opioid Analgesia
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